Britain was battered with some seriously relentless rain last year - and we know now it's officially the second wettest since records began.

The UK had the second soggiest year since records began in 1910 and according to the Met Office it was just a few millimetres short of 2000's record.

Despite a dry start to the year, Britain ended up getting soaked, with April and June both the wettest months on record in the country. Overall 1,330.7mm (52.4 inches) of rain fell across the year.

A property is surrounded by floodwater near Apperley in England

While this year's deluge did not match the year 2000's, 2012 was the wettest year on record for England.

The Met office also revealed Britain has been getting wetter in recent decades.

"Long-term averages of 30-year periods show an increase in annual rainfall of about 5% from 1961-1990 to 1981-2010," they said.

Heavy rain continues to fall in the South West of England and creates hazardous conditions on the M5 Motorway

"We have always seen a great deal of variability in UK rainfall because our weather patterns are constantly changing. However, preliminary evidence suggests we are getting slightly more rain in total and it may be falling in more intense bursts."

According to the Met Office the top five wettest years in the UK, from highest to lowest were 2000, 2012, 1954, 2008, and 2002.

Ola Holmstrom, had of water at WSP engineering consultancy called for innovative thinking to cope with the changing weather patterns in the UK.

"Although much of the long-term solution is about planning and adapting approaches, funding is crucial and public budgets need to be protected. Our core infrastructure will need to be adapted, re-enforced and in some cases completely re-built which comes with a cost," they said in a statement.

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A property is surrounded by floodwater near Apperley in Gloucestershire after days of almost relentless downpours Sunday Dec. 30, 2012. Flood warnings remain in place for England and Wales as the short respite from heavy rain is expected to give way to another band of miserable weather today. (AP Photo/PA,Tim Ireland) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE